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UWS Academic Portal Business Success and the Architectural UWS Academic Portal Business success and the architectural practice of Sir George Gilbert Scott, c.1845–1878 McKinstry, Sam; Ding, Yingyong Published in: Business History DOI: 10.1080/00076791.2017.1288216 E-pub ahead of print: 10/03/2017 Document Version Peer reviewed version Link to publication on the UWS Academic Portal Citation for published version (APA): McKinstry, S., & Ding, Y. (2017). Business success and the architectural practice of Sir George Gilbert Scott, c.1845–1878: a study in hard work, sound management and networks of trust. Business History, 59(6), 928-950. https://doi.org/10.1080/00076791.2017.1288216 General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the UWS Academic Portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact [email protected] providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Download date: 25 Sep 2021 Business Success and the Architectural Practice of Sir George Gilbert Scott, c1845- 1878: a Study in Hard Work, Sound Management and Networks of Trust Sam McKinstry, Ying Yong Ding University of the West of Scotland Tel: 0044-1418483000 Fax: 0044-1418483618 Correspondence: [email protected] 21 December 2016 1 Abstract The study which follows explores the management of Sir George Gilbert Scott’s architectural practice, which was responsible for the very large output of over 1,000 works across the Victorian period. The Scott practice has been seen by some as a predecessor of the modern, large-scale architectural office. Employing insights from Max Weber’s ‘Protestant Ethic’, the paper examines Scott’s motivation as an architect, the nature of his leadership and the detailed structuring and management of his office and of architectural projects. This is followed by a short case study relating to Scott’s rebuilding of Glasgow University from 1865-1870. Finally, there are some reflections on the paper’s implications for further historical studies of businessmen and businesses from different periods through the lens of Weber’s ‘Protestant Ethic’. Keywords: architecture; functional management; business networks; Protestant Ethic 2 Introduction There has been little study of architecture as a business, from a historical point of view. The profession receives no mention in the Oxford Handbook of Business History, one obvious reason being the fact that architectural practices do not in general retain business records, being more concerned to preserve designs and drawings. 1 This fact, in itself, relates to the interesting tension between the aesthetic and business objectives of architects, a phenomenon which has been explored in the two historical studies of architecture as a business that are known to exist, one by Mintzberg et al, 2 the other by McKinstry and Wallace. 3 These studies have reinforced the view of Gutman that architecture as a career ‘is not chosen for its financial rewards’ and that many architects ‘conceive of themselves primarily as artists’. 4 The present study examines the architectural practice of Sir George Gilbert Scott (1811- 1878), restorer of most major English cathedrals and builder of a myriad of churches and other buildings in the UK and abroad. Scott’s architectural practice was Britain’s largest. It is widely accepted that over 1,000 works of architecture, mostly in the Gothic style, were undertaken by his firm between the years 1835-1878. 5 In terms of architectural reputation, in his own day Scott received every accolade the profession was able to give, was knighted and on his death in 1878, was buried in Westminster Abbey. His death, according to The Builder, 6 brought to a close ‘the most successful architectural career of modern times’. During his lifetime, while in most quarters revered, he was not without critics who questioned the amount of work taken on by his practice and its uneven quality, suggesting that he was more commercially than aesthetically motivated. 7 During the first two thirds of the 20th century, he suffered the fate of Victorian architects generally, his works being subjected to ridicule and falling from favour as the Modern movement in 3 architecture gradually gained currency across Britain during the first half of the 20th century, as Stamp has powerfully shown. 8 However, the revaluation of the Victorians in general and Victorian architecture in particular, taken together with the recent restoration of Scott’s St Pancras Station (now Midland Grand) Hotel and Albert Memorial, both in central London, has revealed these structures in all their original glory. This has reinstated his reputation as an architect, corroborating the view of Sir John Betjeman, who opined in 1972 that ‘When at the top of his form, Scott was as good as the best of his Gothic contemporaries’. 9 The value of a study of Scott’s practice is that, as well as having the potential to illuminate his motivation as an architect, it is able to shed light on Victorian business and management attitudes and practices more generally. Child 10 has stated of this period that ‘the dominant British entrepreneurial philosophy was founded upon the concepts of ‘self-help and laissez- faire economics’. This can scarcely be doubted, but a study of Scott’s practice can show how this philosophy was worked out in terms of the detailed management, organisation and business structures utilized in a particular field of professional activity, architecture, and what other factors might have been involved. Wilson and Thomson’s work on management practices and structures 11 is concerned with such matters, but, reflecting the predominance of big business in the business history literature, on the whole relates its findings to larger organisations. This of necessity excludes professional practices and smaller businesses, a deficiency the present study is intended to address. Even although Scott’s business was the largest of its kind in Britain, it was still a small business, as it only directly employed some 30-35 individuals at its height. The paper continues with a review of Weber’s Protestant Work Ethic, the theoretical focus chosen to illuminate the work and career of Sir George Gilbert Scott. The section which 4 follows provides an overview of his practice and achievements. An analysis of the management functions within his business and of his business networks is then given. A study of how these functions and networks operated in relation to his rebuilding of Glasgow University follows in the next section, which is succeeded by a concluding discussion examining the implications of the Scott case for future studies involving Weber’s Protestant Work Ethic. Weber’s Protestant Ethic Weber’s thesis states that developments in Protestant belief and practice, stemming from the Reformation, dynamised capitalism, shaping it in subsequent ages. He initially focussed on the Calvinistic merchants of the countries where the Reformation had most influence, such as Germany or Britain, explaining how the notion of predestination led them to a sense of calling to their earthly occupations, which had, prior to the Reformation, been seen as inferior to the activities of the faithful, in holy orders, in sacred duties such as worship and prayer. This in turn resulted in an intensification of the commitment of Calvinistic businessmen to hard work, driven by a sense of the preciousness of time, which, according to Weber’s Reformed Protestant examples, should never be wasted. This led to business success, seen as confirmation of their calling and salvation. Their success had the further benefits of providing employment within the community through reinvestment in the firm and enabling charitable giving. Correspondingly, personal expenditure was seen as selfish, sinful and undisciplined. Weber never expected complete uniformity of theological interpretation, practical action or depth of ascetic behaviour in or across all the Protestant groupings he examined in his book, especially later ones, such as the Methodists, which only emerged in the 18c, stating that ‘similar ethical maxims may be correlated with very different dogmatic foundations’. 12 5 Weber saw his Ethic as continuing to operate among Protestants up to and including his own day, not just among Calvinists, but among Methodists and other groupings of more Arminian persuasion, who were driven to pursue business wholeheartedly from a sense of Christian duty or divine guidance, rather than predestination. 13 For example, Weber saw the PE in operation among Protestant groupings such as Baptists or Mennonites in the early 20th century in the United States. However, Weber believed that religion was in terminal decline in his own day and that the business practices and commitment to success that had once chararcterised Protestant entrepreneurs had been emulated by late capitalism as a set of learned work behaviours in society at large, but motivated by the pursuit of profit rather than the worship of God. 14 The PE: reception and literature The controversial nature of the PE was reaffirmed in a recent book, The Protestant Ethic Turns 100: Essays on the Centenary of the Weber Thesis. Its editors observe that Weber’s ‘detractors have repeatedly and incessantly questioned Weber’s sociology, theology, economics, and history’. Nevertheless, they believe that ‘the debate on the merits of the “Weber thesis” is by no means over, nor should it be’, which is borne out by the vast number of publications it continues to generate. 15 The PE used to attract more support among economic historians, see for example Hills, 16 Landes 17 and later, 18 Joyce for its role in the making of industrial Britain. 19 Over recent decades, however, business history has shown little interest in Weber.
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